Reaction relationships during retrograde metamorphism at Olary, South Australia

Abstract In metapelitic schists of the north-eastern Weekeroo Inliers, Olary Block, Willyama Supergroup, South Australia, syn-S1 and syn-S2 assemblages involving staurolite, garnet, biotite and another mineral, most probably cordierite, were overgrown by large syn-S3 andalusite porphyroblasts, owing to isobaric heating from metamorphic conditions that existed during the development of S2. Conditions during the development of S3 probably just reached the andalusite—sillimanite transition. During the development of S4, at somewhat lower temperatures than those that accompanied the development of S3, the following reaction occurred:
staurolite + chlorite + muscovite ± biotite + andalusite + quartz + H₂O.
The amount of retrogression is controlled primarily by the amount of H₂O added by infiltration. As the syn-S3 matrix assemblage was stable during the development of S4, but the andalusite porphyroblasts were no longer stable with the matrix when H₂O was added, the retrogression is focused in and around the porphyroblasts. With enough H₂O available, and if quartz was consumed before biotite in a porphyroblast, then the following reaction occurred:
staurolite + chlorite + muscovite + corundum ± biotite + andalusite + H₂O.
This reaction allowed corundum inclusions in the andalusite to grow, regardless of the presence of quartz in the matrix assemblage.     

Sequential, syndeformational porphyroblast growth during Hercynian low-pressure/high-temperature metamorphism in the Canigou massif, Pyrenees

The sequence of growth of garnet, staurolite and aluminosilicate in Fe-rich metapelitic rocks from the Canigou massif, Pyrenees, is established using evidence of inclusion, reaction and pseudomorphing textures between the different minerals, compositional zoning patterns in garnet and staurolite (that can be related to the KFMASH reaction grid), and the geometric relations between inclusion trails in the porphyroblasts and the matrix microstructures. The evidence indicates that garnet and staurolite commenced growth before aluminosilicate in all cases, even where all three are in textural equilibrium. Interpretation of the reaction textures between the porphyroblasts and of the compositional zoning in garnet and staurolite in terms of the KFMASH reaction grid indicates the importance of continuous reactions in the development of these phases. Some garnet and staurolite porphyroblasts underwent renewed growth during breakdown, producing rims enriched in Mn and Zn respectively. The presence of aluminosilicate in these assemblages (i.e. the absence of a clear andalusite-absent zone in the field) is attributed to a strong pressure-dependence for the aluminosilicate-producing reactions. Porphyroblast-matrix microstructural relations indicate that Hercynian metamorphism in the massif was synchronous with the development of the regional subhorizontal foliation (S3).     

The effect of whole-rock MnO content on the stability of garnet in pelitic schists during metamorphism

Garnet-bearing mineral assemblages are commonly observed in pelitic schists regionally metamorphosed to upper greenschist and amphibolite facies conditions. Modelling of thermodynamic data for minerals in the system Na₂O–K₂O–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O, however, predicts that garnet should be observed only in rocks of a narrow range of very high Fe/Mg bulk compositions. Traditionally, the nearly ubiquitous presence of garnet in medium- to high-grade pelitic schists is attributed qualitatively to the stabilizing effect of MnO, based on the observed strong partitioning of MnO into garnet relative to other minerals. In order to quantify the dependence of garnet stability on whole-rock MnO content, we have calculated mineral stabilities for pelitic rocks in the system MnO–Na₂O–K₂O–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O for a moderate range of MnO contents from a set of non-linear equations that specify mass balance and chemical equilibrium among minerals and fluid. The model pelitic system includes quartz, muscovite. albite, pyrophyllite, chlorite, chloritoid, biotite, garnet, staurolite, cordierite, andalusite, kyanite. sillimanite, K-feldspar and H₂O fluid. In the MnO-free system, garnet is restricted to high Fe/Mg bulk compositions, and commonly observed mineral assemblages such as garnet–chlorite and garnet–kyanite are not predicted at any pressure and temperature. In bulk compositions with X_Mn= Mn/(Fe + Mg + Mn) > 0.01, however, the predicted garnet-bearing mineral assemblages are the same as the sequence of prograde mineral assemblages typically observed in regional metamorphic terranes. Temperatures predicted for the first appearance of garnet in model pelitic schist are also strongly dependent on whole-rock MnO content. The small MnO contents of normal pelitic schists (X_Mn= 0.01–0.04) are both sufficient and necessary to account for the observed stability of garnet.     

Temporal links between pluton emplacement,garnet granulite metamorphism,partial melting and extensional collapse in the lower crust of a Cretaceous magmatic arc,Fiordland, New Zealand

Garnet granulite facies mid‐to lower crust in Fiordland, New Zealand, provides evidence for pulsed intrusion and deformation occurring in the mid‐to lower crust of magmatic arcs. ²³⁸U‐²⁰⁶Pb zircon ages constrain emplacement of the ～595 km² Malaspina Pluton to 116–114 Ma. Nine Sm‐Nd garnet ages (multi‐point garnet‐rock isochrons) ranging from 115.6 ± 2.6 to 110.6 ± 2.0 Ma indicate that garnet granulite facies metamorphism was synchronous or near synchronous throughout the pluton. Hence, partial melting and garnet granulite facies metamorphism lasted <5 Ma and began within 5 Ma of pluton emplacement. Garnet granulite facies L‐S tectonites in the eastern part of the Malaspina Pluton record the onset of extensional strain and arc collapse. An Sm‐Nd garnet age and thermobarometric results for these rocks directly below the amphibolite facies Doubtful Sound shear zone provide the oldest known age for extension in Fiordland at ≥112.8 ± 2.2 Ma at ～920 °C and 14–15 kbar. Narrow high Ca rims in garnet from some of these suprasolidus rocks could reflect a ≤ 1.5 kbar pressure increase, but may be largely a result of temperature decrease based on the Ca content of garnet predicted from pseudosections. At peak metamorphic conditions >900 °C, garnet contained ～4000 ppm Ti; subsequently, rutile inclusions grew during declining temperature with limited pressure change. Garnet granulite metamorphism of the Malaspina Pluton is c. 10 Ma younger than similar metamorphism of the Pembroke Granulite in northern Fiordland; therefore, high‐P metamorphism and partial melting must have been diachronous for this >3000 km² area of mid‐to‐lower crust. Thus, two or more pulses of intrusion shortly followed by garnet granulite metamorphism and extensional strain occurred from north to south along the axis of the lower crustal root of the Cretaceous Gondwana arc.     

Record of plate boundary metamorphism during Gondwana breakup from Lu–Hf garnet geochronology of the Alpine Schist,New Zealand

The Zealandia portion of the Pacific–Gondwana margin underwent widespread extension, fragmentation, separation and subsidence during the final stages in the breakup of Gondwana. Although these processes shaped the geology of New Zealand, their timing and the timing of subduction cessation in the region remain unclear. To investigate the timing of these processes, we used Lu–Hf garnet geochronology to date six samples of the Alpine Schist, which represents the metamorphic section of the former Zealandia margin. The garnet dates range from 97.3 ± 0.3 to 75.4 ± 1.3 Ma. Compositional zoning in garnet indicates that the spread in ages results from diachronous metamorphism in the upper plate at the Pacific–Gondwana margin, occurring concurrently with rifting of Zealandia from East Gondwana via opening of the Tasman Sea. Clear spatial trends in the timing of garnet growth throughout the Alpine Schist are absent, indicating that either regional age trends were offset by post‐metamorphic deformation, or that metamorphism did not result from a single regional heat source, and was instead driven by short‐duration, spatially dispersed processes such as episodic fluid‐fluxing or mechanical heating. Diachronous metamorphism of the Alpine Schist can be attributed to heat conduction from the rising upper mantle during widespread extension, progressive burial and heating of accretionary wedge sediments during ongoing horizontal shortening, or fluid‐fluxing sourced from a subducting and dehydrating Hikurangi Plateau. These results indicate that during separation of Zealandia from East Gondwana in the late Cretaceous, the crust at the Pacific–Gondwana margin remained hot, potentially facilitating the extensive thinning of the Zealandia lithosphere during this time.     

The inter‐relationships between long‐lived metamorphism,pluton emplacement and changes in the direction of bulk shortening during orogenesis

Foliation intersection/inflexion axes combined with pseudosections and garnet‐core isopleths reveal only 1.5 kbar variation in P–T conditions while plutons were emplaced regionally and deformation and metamorphism continued during orogenesis lasting 70 Myr. Tectonism ended with slight decompression into the cordierite stability field. Garnet growth was always overstepped by up to 100 °C occurring at conditions that staurolite growth was also possible. Episodic start, stop, start growth behaviour of both of these phases throughout this period did not result from the effects of bulk composition on their stability fields. Different porphyroblast growth patterns in same bulk composition and outcrop samples reveals reaction start/stop behaviour was controlled by the manner in which deformation partitioned through an outcrop. The regional isograds were established during the first period of bulk shortening near orthogonal to the orogen trend. They did not migrate across lower grade rocks during each of the subsequent periods of metamorphism in spite of dramatic changes in the direction of bulk shortening; rather they contracted slightly. During the youngest periods of orogenesis directed at a high angle to the current orogen trend the isograds were folded about axial planes parallel to the fold belt. The regional distribution of these isograds directly reflects the oldest period of pluton emplacement, with both controlled by orogen‐scale partitioning of bulk shortening at a high angle to the current orogen trend relative to intervening zones of transform‐like shear.     

Ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism and exhumation of garnet peridotite in Pohorje, Eastern Alps

New evidence for ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphism (UHPM) in the Eastern Alps is reported from garnet‐bearing ultramafic rocks from the Pohorje Mountains in Slovenia. The garnet peridotites are closely associated with UHP kyanite eclogites. These rocks belong to the Lower Central Austroalpine basement unit of the Eastern Alps, exposed in the proximity of the Periadriatic fault. Ultramafic rocks have experienced a complex metamorphic history. On the basis of petrochemical data, garnet peridotites could have been derived from depleted mantle rocks that were subsequently metasomatized by melts and/or fluids either in the plagioclase‐peridotite or the spinel‐peridotite field. At least four stages of recrystallization have been identified in the garnet peridotites based on an analysis of reaction textures and mineral compositions. Stage I was most probably a spinel peridotite stage, as inferred from the presence of chromian spinel and aluminous pyroxenes. Stage II is a UHPM stage defined by the assemblage garnet + olivine + low‐Al orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + Cr‐spinel. Garnet formed as exsolutions from clinopyroxene, coronas around Cr‐spinel, and porphyroblasts. Stage III is a decompression stage, manifested by the formation of kelyphitic rims of high‐Al orthopyroxene, aluminous spinel, diopside and pargasitic hornblende replacing garnet. Stage IV is represented by the formation of tremolitic amphibole, chlorite, serpentine and talc. Geothermobarometric calculations using (i) garnet‐olivine and garnet‐orthopyroxene Fe‐Mg exchange thermometers and (ii) the Al‐in‐orthopyroxene barometer indicate that the peak of metamorphism (stage II) occurred at conditions of around 900 °C and 4 GPa. These results suggest that garnet peridotites in the Pohorje Mountains experienced UHPM during the Cretaceous orogeny. We propose that UHPM resulted from deep subduction of continental crust, which incorporated mantle peridotites from the upper plate, in an intracontinental subduction zone. Sinking of the overlying mantle and lower crustal wedge into the asthenosphere (slab extraction) caused the main stage of unroofing of the UHP rocks during the Upper Cretaceous. Final exhumation was achieved by Miocene extensional core complex formation.     

Chronology of the high-pressure metamorphism of Norwegian garnet peridotites/pyroxenites

Eclogite facies mineral assemblages are variably preserved in mafic and ultramafic rocks within the Western Gneiss Region (WGR) of Norway. Mineralogical and microstructural data indicate that some Mg–Cr-rich, Alpine-type peridotites have had a complex metamorphic history. The metamorphic evolution of these rocks has been described in terms of a seven-stage evolutionary model; each stage is characterized by a specific mineral assemblage. Stages II and III both comprise garnet-bearing mineral assemblages. Garnet-bearing assemblages are also present in Fe–Ti-rich peridotites which commonly occur as layers in mafic complexes. Sm–Nd isotopic results are reported for mineral and whole rock samples from both of these types of peridotites and related rocks. The partitioning of Sm and Nd between coexisting garnet and clinopyroxene is used to assess chemical equilibrium. One sample of Mg–Cr-type peridotite shows non-disturbed partitioning of Sm and Nd between Stage II garnet and clinopyroxene pairs and yields a garnet–clinopyroxene–whole-rock date of 1703 ± 29 Ma (I= 0.51069, MSWD = 0.04). This is the best estimate for the age of the Stage II high-P assemblage. Other Stage II garnet–clinopyroxene pairs reflect later disturbance of the Sm–Nd system and yield dates in the range 1303 to 1040 Ma. These dates may not have any geological significance. Stage III garnet–clinopyroxene pairs typically have equilibrated Sm–Nd partitioning and two samples yield dates of 437 ± 58 and 511 ± 18 Ma. This suggests that equilibration of the Stage III high-P assemblage is related to the Caledonian orogeny and is more or less contemporaneous with high-P metamorphism of ‘country-rock’eclogites in the surrounding gneisses. The Sm–Nd mineral data for the Fe–Ti-rich garnet peridotites and for a superferrian eclogite, which occurs as a dyke within the Gurskebotn Mg–Cr-type peridotite, are consistent with a Palaeozoic high-P metamorphism. Finally a synoptic P–T–t path is proposed for the Mg–Cr-type peridotites which is consistent with the petrological and geochronological data.     

Synchronous peak Barrovian metamorphism driven by syn-orogenic magmatism and fluid flow in southern Connecticut, USA

Recent work in Barrovian metamorphic terranes has found that rocks experience peak metamorphic temperatures across several grades at similar times. This result is inconsistent with most geodynamic models of crustal over‐thickening and conductive heating, wherein rocks which reach different metamorphic grades generally reach peak temperatures at different times. Instead, the presence of additional sources of heat and/or focusing mechanisms for heat transport, such as magmatic intrusions and/or advection by metamorphic fluids, may have contributed to the contemporaneous development of several different metamorphic zones. Here, we test the hypothesis of temporally focussed heating for the Wepawaug Schist, a Barrovian terrane in Connecticut, USA, using Sm–Nd ages of prograde garnet growth and U–Pb zircon crystallization ages of associated igneous rocks. Peak temperature in the biotite–garnet zone was dated (via Sm–Nd on garnet) at 378.9 ± 1.6 Ma (2σ), whereas peak temperature in the highest grade staurolite–kyanite zone was dated (via Sm–Nd on garnet rims) at 379.9 ± 6.8 Ma (2σ). These garnet ages suggest that peak metamorphism was pene‐contemporaneous (within error) across these metamorphic grades. Ion microprobe U–Pb ages for zircon from igneous rocks hosted by the metapelites also indicate a period of syn‐metamorphic peak igneous activity at 380.6 ± 4.7 Ma (2σ), indistinguishable from the peak ages recorded by garnet. A 388.6 ± 2.1 Ma (2σ) garnet core age from the staurolite–kyanite zone indicates an earlier episode of growth (coincident with ages from texturally early zircon and a previously published monazite age) along the prograde regional metamorphic T–t path. The timing of peak metamorphism and igneous activity, as well as the occurrence of extensive syn‐metamorphic quartz vein systems and pegmatites, best supports the hypothesis that advective heating driven by magmas and fluids focussed major mineral growth into two distinct episodes: the first at c. 389 Ma, and the second, corresponding to the regionally synchronous peak metamorphism, at c. 380 Ma.     

Age and duration of ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism in the Anápolis–Itauçu Complex, Southern Brasília Belt, central Brazil – constraints from U–Pb geochronology, mineral rare earth element chemistry and trace-element thermometry

Integrated petrographic and chemical analysis of zircon, garnet and rutile from ultrahigh‐temperature (UHT) granulites in the Anápolis–Itauçu Complex, Brazil, is used to constrain the significance of zircon ID‐TIMS U–Pb geochronological data. Chondrite‐normalized rare earth element (REE) profiles of zircon cores have positive‐sloping heavy‐REE patterns, commonly inferred to be magmatic, whereas unambiguous metamorphic grains and overgrowths have flat to slightly negatively sloping heavy‐REE patterns. However, in one sample, a core of zircon interpreted as having formed prior to garnet crystallization and a metamorphic zircon formed within microstructures involving garnet breakdown both display elevated heavy‐REE (and Y) with positive‐sloping patterns. D_REE(zrc/grt) partition coefficients suggest an approximation to equilibrium between zircon and garnet cores, although progressive enrichment in heavy REE towards garnet rims occurs in two of the samples investigated. Titanium‐in‐zircon thermometry indicates zircon growth during both the prograde and post‐peak evolution, but not at peak temperatures of the UHT metamorphism. By contrast, zirconium‐in‐rutile thermometry of inclusions armoured by garnet records crystallization temperatures, based on the upper end of the interquartile range of the data, of ～890 to 870 °C and maximum temperature around 980 °C, indicating prograde and retrograde growth close to and after peak conditions. Rutile located in retrograde microstructures records crystallization temperatures of 850 to 820 °C. Rutile intergrown with ilmenite and included within orthopyroxene, which is associated with exsolved zircon, records temperatures ～760 °C, consistent with Ti‐in‐zircon crystallization temperatures. ID‐TIMS U–Pb geochronological data from two of the four samples investigated define upper intercept ages of 641.3 ± 8.4 Ma (MSWD 0.91) and 638.8 ± 2.5 Ma (MSWD 1.03) that correlate with periods of zircon growth along the prograde segment of the P–T path. Individual zircon U–Pb dates retrieved from all samples range from 649 to 634 Ma, indicating a maximum duration of c. 15 Myr for the UHT event. This period is interpreted as recording modest thickening of hot backarc lithosphere located behind the Arenópolis Arc at the edge of the São Francisco Craton consequent upon terminal collision of the Parána Block with the arc during the amalgamation of West Gondwana.     

Distinguishing and correlating multiple phases of metamorphism across a multiply deformed region using the axes of spiral, staircase and sigmoidal inclusion trails in garnet

Schists from the Appalachian Orogen in south-east Vermont have undergone multiple phases of garnet growth. These phases can be distinguished by the trend and relative timing of f oliation i nflexion or i ntersection a xes (FIAs) of foliations preserved as inclusion trails in garnet porphyroblasts. The relative timing of different generations of FIAs is determined from samples containing porphyroblasts with two or three differently trending FIAs developed outwards from core to rim (multi-FIA porphyroblasts). Schists from south-east Vermont show a consistent pattern of relative clockwise rotation of FIA trends from oldest to youngest. Four populations or sets of FIAs can be distinguished on the basis of their relative timings and trends. From oldest to youngest, the four sets have modal peaks trending SW–NE, W–E, NNW–SSE and SSW–NNE. These peaks show that each of the four FIA sets has a statistically consistent trend at all scales across a 35×125 km area containing numerous mesoscopic and macroscopic folds. The FIAs of Set 4 are defined by inclusion trails that are continuous with matrix foliations, have trends subparallel to most folds and are inferred to have developed contemporaneously with these structures. Conversely, Sets 1 to 3 are oblique to and pre-date most matrix foliations and folds. All four FIA sets occur in Siluro-Devonian rocks and must have formed in the Acadian Orogeny. The lack of statistically significant differences in the distribution of FIA trends across the study area and their consistent relative timings in multi-FIA porphyroblasts, despite a complex regional deformation history involving numerous phases of folding at all scales, suggest the porphyroblasts have not rotated relative to one another. The change in FIA trend with time resulted from rotation of the kinematic reference frame of bulk flow, possibly as a consequence of the reorganization of lithospheric plates responsible for Acadian orogenesis. Recognition of distinct generations of FIAs provides a means of distinguishing different phases of porphyroblast growth. Four periods of garnet porphyroblast growth occurred in the schists of south-east Vermont. This growth was heterogeneously distributed on the cm²–m² scale. No single porphyroblast records all stages of growth, and adjacent samples from the same or dissimilar rock types commonly contain porphyroblasts that preserve different sequences of growth. Factors that may have been responsible for switching porphyroblast growth on and off at this scale include: (i) subtle differences in bulk chemical composition; (ii) oscillating levels of heat, owing to the buffering effect of endothermic garnet-forming reactions; (iii) channelized infiltration of fluids with localized fluid buffering of bulk composition; and (iv) cyclic controls on the rates of diffusion and material transport of reactants, either by channelized fluid flow or by a changing pattern of microfracturing during foliation development. Consistency in FIA trend and relative timing provide a new method for potentially distinguishing and correlating successive metamorphic events, or even phases of metamorphism within a progressive tectonothermal event, along and across orogens. Using a consistent pattern of core to rim changes in FIA trend, multiple phases of growth of a single porphyroblastic mineral can be quantitatively distinguished, allowing correlation of different phases of growth around and across macroscopic folds. The relative timing of growth of different porphyroblastic minerals can also be quantitatively determined using FIA data and correlated around and across macroscopic folds. Conceptually, the paragenetic history preserved in each generation of porphyroblast growth, in the form of chemical zoning and the minerals in inclusion trails, could be combined to produce a more detailed P–T–t–deformation path than previously determined.     

Experimental determination of REE partition coefficients between zircon,garnet and melt: a key to understanding high‐T crustal processes

The partitioning of rare earth elements (REE) between zircon, garnet and silicate melt was determined using synthetic compositions designed to represent partial melts formed in the lower crust during anatexis. The experiments, performed using internally heated gas pressure vessels at 7 kbar and 900–1000 °C, represent equilibrium partitioning of the middle to heavy REE between zircon and garnet during high‐grade metamorphism in the mid to lower crust. The D_REE (zircon/garnet) values show a clear partitioning signature close to unity from Gd to Lu. Because the light REE have low concentrations in both minerals, values are calculated from strain modelling of the middle to heavy REE experimental data; these results show that zircon is favoured over garnet by up to two orders of magnitude. The resulting general concave‐up shape to the partitioning pattern across the REE reflects the preferential incorporation of middle REE into garnet, with D_Gd (zircon/garnet) ranging from 0.7 to 1.1, D_Ho (zircon/garnet) from 0.4 to 0.7 and D_Lu (zircon/garnet) from 0.6 to 1.3. There is no significant temperature dependence in the zircon–garnet REE partitioning at 7 kbar and 900–1000 °C, suggesting that these values can be applied to the interpretation of zircon–garnet equilibrium and timing relationships in the ultrahigh‐T metamorphism of low‐Ca pelitic and aluminous granulites.     

Prograde eclogite in the Gföhl Nappe, Czech Republic: new evidence on Variscan high-pressure metamorphism

A layer of relict, high-temperature, prograde eclogite has been discovered within felsic granulite of the Gföhl Nappe, which is the uppermost tectonic unit in the Moldanubian Zone of the Bohemian Massif, the easternmost of the European Variscan massifs. Pressure-temperature conditions for eclogite (≥890  °C, 18.0  kbar) and felsic granulite ( c . 1000  °C, 16  kbar) place early metamorphism of the polymetamorphic Gföhl crustal rocks within the eclogite facies, and preservation of prograde compositional zoning in small garnet grains in high-temperature eclogite requires very rapid heating, as well as cooling. Mantle-derived garnet and spinel–garnet peridotites are associated with the high temperature-high pressure crustal rocks in the Gföhl Nappe, and this distinctive lithological suite appears to be unique among European Phanerozoic orogenic belts, implying that tectonic processes during the late stages in evolution of the Variscan belt were different from those in the Caledonian and Alpine belts. The unusually high temperatures and pressures in Gföhl crustal rocks, mineralogical evidence for rapid heating and cooling, juxtaposition of lithospheric and asthenospheric mantle with crustal rocks, and widespread production of late-stage granites indicate that culmination of the Variscan Orogeny may have been driven by lithospheric delamination and asthenospheric upwelling.     

Ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism in the forbidden zone: the Xugou garnet peridotite, Sulu terrane, eastern China

The Xugou garnet peridotite body of the southern Sulu ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) terrane is enclosed in felsic gneiss, bounded by faults, and consists of harzburgite and lenses of garnet clinopyroxenite and eclogite. The peridotite is composed of variable amounts of olivine (Fo₉₁), enstatite (En_92?93), garnet (Alm_20?23Prp_53?58Knr_6?9Grs_12?18), diopside and rare chromite. The ultramafic protolith has a depleted residual mantle composition, indicated by a high‐Mg number, very low CaO, Al₂O₃ and total REE contents compared to primary mantle and other Sulu peridotites. Most garnet (Prp_44?58) clinopyroxenites are foliated. Except for rare kyanite‐bearing eclogitic bands, most eclogites contain a simple assemblage of garnet (Alm_29?34Prp_32?50Grs_15?39) + omphacite (Jd_24?36) + minor rutile. Clinopyroxenite and eclogite exhibit LREE‐depleted and LREE‐enriched patterns, respectively, but both have flat HREE patterns. Normalized La, Sm and Yb contents indicate that both eclogite and garnet clinopyroxenite formed by high‐pressure crystal accumulation (+ variable trapped melt) from melts resulting from two‐stage partial melting of a mantle source. Recrystallized textures and P–T estimates of 780–870 °C, 5–7 GPa and a metamorphic age of 231 ± 11 Ma indicate that both mafic and ultramafic protoliths experienced Triassic UHP metamorphism in the P–T forbidden zone with an extremely low thermal gradient (< 5 °C km^?1), and multistage retrograde recrystallization during exhumation. Develop of prehnite veins in clinopyroxenite, eclogite, felsic blocks and country rock gneiss, and replacements of eclogitic minerals by prehnite, albite, white mica, and K‐feldspar indicate low‐temperature metasomatism.     

Crustal‐mantle lithosphere decoupling as a control on Variscan metamorphism in the Eastern Alps

Mica schists of the Variscan Austroalpine Ötztal basement (Eastern Alps) contain synkinematically grown garnet porphyroblasts showing three zones with complex inclusion trails. Staurolite, kyanite and sillimanite grew over the main schistosity that envelops the garnet porphyroblasts. The mineral‐forming reaction sequences modelled in the MnKFMASH and KFMASH systems show that garnet of zone 1 grew at approximately 1300 MPa, whereas zone 2 and zone 3 grew during substantial decompression and partial thermal relaxation. For the growth of staurolite, kyanite and sillimanite, this modelling shows that thermal relaxation continued after decompression under only slightly changing pressure conditions, until the peak temperature conditions of Variscan metamorphism were reached. The result of this modelling is a pressure‐temperature‐time (P–T–t) heating path that is consistent with a tectonic interpretation implying thickening of the lithosphere during continental collision and subsequent mantle ‐ crustal lithosphere decoupling plus extension. A direct implication of this model is that the heat budget of Variscan metamorphism was controlled by the convective replacement of the thickened lithospheric root with asthenospheric material.     

Porphyroblast rotation: eppur si muove*?

In a number of recent papers, the theory has been postulated that porphyroblasts as a rule do not rotate with respect to geographical coordinates, and can be used to determine the original orientation of older foliations. Complex inclusion patterns in spiral garnets have even been used to advocate a new model of orogenesis, involving several alternating phases of horizontal shortening and extension. Critical assessment of the assumptions and data used to support the theory of irrotational porphyroblasts reveals numerous flaws. Millipede structures, used as proof for flow partitioning, can also form by other flow geometries. Evidence quoted to support irrotational behaviour of porphyroblasts is unsound. Porphyroblasts do occur in sets with a preferred orientation of the internal foliation trace, but these cannot be shown to represent original orientations. Microstructures which resemble truncation planes in spiral garnets are used as evidence that these structures developed by several phases of deformation and as proof for periodic extension and horizontal shortening in orogenesis. They can, however, also be explained by intermittent growth of a rotating porphyroblast during a single phase of deformation. Finally, porphyroblast sets in which orientation is a function of aspect ratio indicate that porphyroblast rotation with respect to kinematic axes does occur in at least some situations.     

Microstructure, metamorphism and tectonics of the western Cape Breton Highlands, Nova Scotia

ABSTRACT Microstructural and petrological data from the Jumping Brook metamorphic suite, western Cape Breton Highlands, suggest that a single episode of syntectonic prograde metamorphism, followed by uplift, cooling and associated retrogression, affected these rocks during mid-Palaeozoic times. Microstructures indicative of progressive crenulation foliation development can be traced from low-grade (chlorite zone) through high-grade (kyanite zone) rocks, allowing a clear sequence of porphyroblast growth to be established. Metamorphic reactions and P-T calculations suggest metamorphic conditions of 700-750°C at 8-10 kbar were achieved in kyanite zone rocks. Although a complete P-T-t path was not defined, combined petrological and geochronological data can be used to constrain computed P-T-t models. These models suggest that a component of post-metamorphic tectonic exhumation is required to explain the observed times of cooling and uplift. The microstructural and petrological data to not support the interpretation that the high-grade rocks represent pre-existing crystalline basement. Indeed, the metamorphic history, geochronology and computed tectonic models all point to a single, short-lived episode of Silurian-Devonian volcanism, intrusion, convergence, regional metamorphism and uplift, probably resulting from collision tectonics at an irregular continental margin.     

A model for low-pressure facies metamorphism during crustal thickening

Low-pressure metamorphic facies (i.e. high T/P ratios) are widespread in a wide range of tectonic settings. Explanations offered for the occurrence of these facies include extensional and/or magmatic models. However, these fail to explain that the low- P facies metamorphism is commonly coeval with a phase of pervasive crustal thickening, with T/P ratios increasing during, or slightly lagging behind, the thickening. We propose an alternative explanation based on the approximate synchroneity of crustal thickening and erosion (thinning) of the mantle lithosphere.     

Rotation of porphyroblasts in non-coaxial deformation: insights from computer simulations

Porphyroblast inclusion trails have the potential to provide critical information about tectonometamorphic events. Recently, however, traditional interpretations of inclusion trails have been called into question by the suggestions that porphyroblasts do not rotate during non-coaxial deformation and that apparent spiral inclusion trails can be generated in coaxial deformation. We present a new computer model that simulates inclusion trail development. Model results suggest: (1) that the extent of porphyroblast rotation is controlled by conditions at the porphyroblast-matrix boundary; (2) that curved inclusion trails may develop in unrotated porphyroblasts; (3) that classic "snowball" inclusion trails are most simply explained by rotational growth histories; and (4) that some of the observations used to support the view that porphyroblasts do not rotate (e.g. weakly sigmoidal inclusion trails, apparent truncations of inclusion trails) can be accounted for by variations in the growth rate of rotating porphyroblasts.     

Episodic porphyroblast growth in the Fleur de Lys Supergroup, Newfoundland: timing relative to the sequential development of multiple crenulation cleavages

Inclusion trails in garnet and albite porphyroblasts in the Fleur de Lys Supergroup preserve successive generations of microstructures, some of which correlate with equivalent microstructures in the matrix. Microstructure–porphyroblast relationships provide timing constraints on a succession of seven crenulation cleavages (S1–S7) and five stages of porphyroblast growth. Significant destruction and alteration of early fabrics has occurred during the microstructural development of the rock mass. Garnet porphyroblasts grew episodically through four growth stages (G1–G4) and preserve a succession of five fabrics (S1–S5) as inclusion trails. Garnet growth during each of the four growth phases did not occur on all pre-existing porphyroblasts, resulting in contrasting growth histories between individual garnet porphyroblasts from the same outcrop. Albite porphyroblasts grew during a single stage of growth and have overgrown microstructures continuous with the matrix. The garnet and albite porphyroblast inclusion trails record a succession of crenulation cleavages without any rotation of the porphyroblasts relative to other porphyroblasts in the population.
Complex microstructural histories are best resolved by preparing multiple oriented thin sections from a large number of samples of different rock types within the area of study. The succession of matrix foliations must be understood, as it provides the most useful time-frame against which to measure the relative timing of phases of porphyroblast growth. Comparable microstructures must be identified in different porphyroblasts and in the rock matrix.